Chapter 5
(S.T.A.R. Labs)
Sara and Dinah, the former training a gun on their prisoner in case he tried anything, were escorting a handcuffed Prometheus to one of the cells in the pipeline.
Behind them, Conner held Icicle and Volcana, who both were still unconscious, on his shoulders as he carried them to the pipeline cells. Courtney, her staff in hand, was walking next to him.
Still out cold, Cisco was lying on the bed in the med-bay as Caitlin was examining him, while Barry stood next to her looking at Cisco with concern.
"How is he, Cait?" Barry asked in concern.
"He's definitely got a concussion, it's not too bad though," Caitlin replied. "He'll be out for a little while."
"But he'll be okay?" Barry asked.
"He'll be fine," Caitlin assured him with a smile.
"That's good," Barry nodded in relief.
Wally and Joe entered the cortex where Barry, Oliver, Diggle, Laurel-One, Laurel-Two, and Quentin were gathered.
"So what's the game plan?" Wally asked.
"There is none yet," Barry replied. "Whoever attacked us knows who we are. So I think just get Joe, Cecile, and Jenna as far away as possible."
"No way, man," Wally protested. "I have to help out. Come on."
"You're helping by keeping our family safe," Barry pointed out.
"He's right," Joe added. "Until we know what these people want, nobody's safe."
"Laurel, Quentin, you two should go with them until all of this is over," Oliver instructed.
Laurel-One frowned. "Wait, why me? I'd be a lot more useful here."
"You were just brought back to life a week ago and I think, before you fully throw yourself back into this line of work, you should spend a little more time readjusting to the fact that you're alive again," Oliver pointed out.
Laurel-One's frown deepened, realizing what Oliver was getting at. "You're benching me because you're afraid of losing me again."
"Damn right he is," Quentin said. "And so am I. It's good for your own good, Laurel. I can't... no, I won't go through the pain of losing you all over again."
"One, whether or not I'm involved in this fight should be my decision," Laurel-One stated firmly as she gave her father and ex-boyfriend a stern look. "Two, I have a Canary Cry now and my combat skills are better than they've ever been. And lastly, I'm not gonna let the fear of dying again stop me from doing my part to help save the world."
"I doubt you're gonna change her mind, Ollie," Laurel-Two said, knowingly. "We may have our differences, but if there's one trait us Laurels share, it's stubbornness."
"Oh, I don't disagree with that at all," Quentin said.
"If it makes you feel any better, we currently have a ton of hands on deck who'll watch my back," Laurel-One said.
"All right, you can stay if that's what you really want," Oliver gave in, and Laurel looked relieved.
"You be safe, baby girl," Quentin said, as he pulled Laurel-One into a hug.
"Will do," she told him, before they released each other.
Quentin turned to Laurel-Two and hugged her as well. "You be safe too."
"There's no such thing as 'safe' when doing what we do, but I'll do my best to stay alive," Laurel-Two said.
"That's good enough for me," Quentin said, as he and Laurel-Two let each other go. "You may not be from this Earth, but I consider you as much my daughter as Laurel and Sara."
"Thanks, Dad," Laurel-Two said with a smile.
Quentin, Joe, and Wally headed out of the cortex.
Clark, Lois, Chloe, Ollie, Conner, Courtney, Bart, Dinah, Tess (who was back in her human form), Kara K, Kara D, Alex, Lena, Winn, Caitlin, Sara, Roy, and Thea were now in the cortex with Barry, Oliver, Diggle, Laurel-One, Laurel-Two.
"You guys have any idea where they fled?" Barry asked Clark, Bart, Kara K, and Kara D.
"No, Kara, Kara, and I flew over the entire city and the surrounding areas," Clark replied. "It's like they vanished without a trace."
"I couldn't find any sign of our bad guys either," Bart said.
"Obviously, they escaped somewhere," Kara K added.
"And they just happened to crash the place where all of us were gathered," Thea said.
"I wonder what they want from us," Laurel-One said.
"And why was Slade with them?" Roy wondered.
"He wasn't," Oliver stated. "I called him. He wasn't anywhere in the U.S. at all today."
"Which Lyla confirmed," Diggle added.
"Whoever was dressed up in that uniform certainly sounded like him," Thea recalled.
"Wait, Slade as in Slade Wilson?" Lois asked, curiously.
"You know him too?" Thea asked.
"Yep," Lois answered. "I don't know anything about your version of him, but we had horrible experiences with the Slade on our Earth."
"So did we before, but he's been on our side for a while now," Sara said.
"That's really hard to imagine," Bart said.
"Tell me about it," Courtney added, disgusted by the thought of Slade for obvious reasons.
"So our new enemies want to kill Earth's heroes, then what?" Barry wondered.
"If these Nazis are anything like the ones we know from our history, I'm guessing ethnic cleansing and world domination," Chloe answered.
"Make American Aryan again," Diggle added.
"Which it never was," Caitlin said.
"Their appearance and actions seem to be in support of a cause that was defeated over seventy years ago," Tess said.
"Apparently they didn't know about the Yalta Conference," Barry said.
"It's not only Nazis we're dealing with," Clark said, as all eyes turned to him. "The Kryptonian that I fought was Clark Luthor, a doppelganger of mine that I encountered years ago."
All the Earth-21 individuals, as well as those from Earth-38 due to hearing the name 'Luthor', looked shocked. Tess felt uneasy at the mention of Clark Luthor as she recalled her own experiences with the murderous Kryptonian, which had ended with him nearly dropping her out of the window of LuthorCorp.
"You have a doppelganger whose last name is Luthor?" Kara D asked, incredulously.
"His circumstances were different than mine," Clark explained. "Clark Luthor is a version of me who was raised by the Luthors instead of the Kents and goes by the man Ultraman."
"Are you positive it's the same Clark Luthor? For all we know, it would be a completely different version since there are infinite Earths out here," Chloe pointed out.
"He remembers me and the conversation we had in the Fortress, so it's definitely him," Clark said.
"So that mass-murdering psycho hasn't changed his spots after all," Lois said.
"Quick question," Ollie said. "How the hell did Luthor-you even know you were on this Earth?"
"Let alone how he got here in the first place," Dinah added.
"Andrea Rojas was with them for some reason too, along with Icicle and Volcana," Conner said.
Lena turned to him with recognition. "Andrea Rojas? I had a friend with that name." The bitterness in her voice didn't go unnoticed by the others, but they had much more important things to focus on.
"The Andrea Rojas we know is a vigilante and an occasional ally of ours," Clark said. "As for why she's working with these people, that's one of the things we need to find out."
"If it's true that Andrea turned traitor on us, maybe she's been keeping tabs on our activities, which could explain how the people she's working with found us," Bart said.
"Since when did you become so smart?" Dinah remarked.
"I've always been smart, D, even if I don't show it all the time," Bart said.
"That man and woman that Kara and I fought didn't seem surprised to see us," Kara D said, referring to Overman and Overgirl.
"Judging by their powers, they must've been Kryptonian," Kara K added.
"That blonde woman we fought had a Canary Cry just like ours," Laurel-One said.
"And her suit looked a lot like my first one," Laurel-Two added.
"That archer matched me, not only shot for shot, but in combat skills," Oliver said.
"Same here with the archer that me and Chloe fought," Ollie said.
"It's time we got some answers and found out what exactly is going on," Clark stated, as he looked at the surveillance monitor showing Prometheus standing in the pipeline cell.
"He's not exactly talking, Clark," Dinah said.
"So let's make him talk," Oliver stated.
(Elsewhere)
Ultraman, Andrea, Owlman, Inertia, Overman, Amazon Queen, Overgirl, Dark Arrow, Dark Arsenal, Dark Siren, and Deathstroke were gathered on the rooftop of a skyscraper. Overgirl was still clutching her chest in pain.
"Those other Kryptonians were stronger than we anticipated," Overman announced.
"Next time they won't be so lucky," Overgirl stated.
"We will make sure of it," Amazon Queen added. "We underestimated them. It won't happen again."
"Unlike us, they don't have what it takes to shed the blood of their enemies," Deathstroke said.
"Which will be their own undoing for choosing the high road," Dark Arrow said.
"As far as I'm concerned, those losers holding back is better for us and worse for them," Dark Arsenal pointed out.
"We need to get rid of Kent and his cousin," Ultraman pointed out. "Those two are clearly the biggest obstacles in our way. Once they're in the ground, taking out the rest won't even be an exercise."
"The problem is, they're just as strong and powerful as you," Andrea said. "Killing them won't be easy."
"So we exploit their vulnerabilities," Owlman stated, as Ultraman gave him a pointed look. "I know you detest the use of the green mineral from your planet, Clark, but this is an instance where we'll most likely have no choice."
"I can't believe I'm saying this, Thomas, but I agree," Ultraman said. "Only in this case though."
Suddenly, a streak of red lightning appeared. The Crime Syndicate and the Earth-X'ers turned to see that Dark Flash had arrived. The speedster's eyes were glowing bright red and his entire body was vibrating.
"What did you do?" Dark Flash demanded, angrily. He stopped vibrating as the glow in his eyes disappeared and pulled back his cowl, once more revealing the face that was identical to Barry Allen. "What did you do?! You were supposed to wait until we were ready before you attacked!"
Overman pressed a button on the side of his mask. The mask, which was holographic, disappeared, revealing the handsome face of a dark-haired man with blue eyes and a facial structure similar to that of Clark Kent. "Opportunity knocked in the form of a party. We answered."
"Opportunity knocked and you answered," Dark Flash scoffed. "Well, now, because of your recklessness, we have lost Prometheus, Icicle, and Volcana!"
As Dark Flash stepped up to Overman, both of them looking ready to fight, Amazon Queen placed her sword between them. "Fighting amongst each other will accomplish nothing," she told them. She deactivated her mask, revealing the face of a beautiful woman long dark hair and brown eyes. "You must save your strength and anger for our enemies."
Overgirl deactivated her mask, revealing a face identical to Kara Danvers. "We will have another chance to achieve victory."
"She's right," Dark Arrow agreed, deactivating his mask as well and revealing a face identical to Oliver Queen of Earth-1. "Once we've killed every last one of them, including my doppelganger after I've driven an arrow into his heart as I watched him gasp his last breath, their Earth will be in our grasp."
"I love the sound of that, twin brother," Dark Arsenal said, his mask deactivating to reveal a face identical to Oliver Queen of Earth-21, albeit with blue eyes instead of brown. "I'm gonna enjoy putting an arrow between the eyes of my identical knock-off and doing the same to those other softies."
Ultraman glared at the sight of Dark Arsenal, due to his resemblance to the who had been one of his greatest enemies back on his Earth. To this day, Ultraman felt no regret or remorse for snapping his Earth's Oliver Queen's neck after the latter had the audacity to reveal his identity and weakness to the entire world. Despite that it had been a week since Ultraman and his team had been working with the Earth-X'ers, there were still moments when it took a great amount of self-control to not incinerate the man who looked exactly like someone he had always hated with a passion.
"Leave my weak and pathetic doppelgangers exclusively to me," Dark Siren said, her mask retracting to reveal a face identical to Laurel Lance. "I can't wait for my scream to shatter all the bones in their bodies."
"We will not fail next time," Deathstroke said, taking off his mask to reveal the face of Slade Wilson, though this version looked several years older than his Earth-1 doppelganger and had more gray in his hair. "Our enemies and anyone else who dares to get in our way will be drenched in their own blood."
"And multiple worlds will be ours," Overman said with a smirk.
(S.T.A.R. Labs)
Down in the pipeline, Barry, Oliver, Ollie, Clark, Lois, Chloe, Conner, Courtney, Bart, Dinah, Kara K, Kara D, Sara, Laurel-One, Laurel-Two, Roy, Thea, and Diggle were gathered in front the cell Prometheus was in. They watched as the Nazi assassin pulled back his hood and took off his mask. As he turned to the heroes, shocked expressions appeared on the faces of Oliver, Sara, Laurel-One, Laurel-Two, Diggle, Roy, and Thea as the man revealed in the Prometheus uniform was none other than Tommy Merlyn.
"Oh, my God," Laurel-One said in disbelief.
"You know this guy?" Ollie asked.
"That's Tommy Merlyn," Sara said.
"I thought he died five years ago," Barry said to Oliver, remembering the news report on the Undertaking.
"He did," Oliver said.
"Who is Tommy Merlyn?" Clark asked.
"He's my... my other brother," Thea stammered as she swallowed hard.
"And my best friend," Oliver said, stepping closer to the cell as he and Tommy stood face-to-face on either side of the glass.
"Also my ex-boyfriend," Laurel-One added, stepping up next to Oliver.
"Mine too," Laurel-Two then said.
"We're gonna need a moment alone," Oliver said to the others.
"I second that," Laurel-One said, given her own history with Tommy.
"Same here," Laurel-Two said.
"Me too," Thea added.
"Maybe he was recently brought back to life just like Laurel," Roy suggested, as he and everyone else, except Oliver, Thea, and the Laurels, were back in the cortex.
"And me," Courtney added.
"Even if that's the case, how do we explain him working with Nazis and being dressed as Prometheus?" Diggle asked. "As far as we know, Tommy never had advanced combat training."
"Unless it's not the same Tommy Merlyn," Caitlin suggested.
"So we're probably dealing with visitors from another Earth," Barry said.
"Most likely not just one Earth either," Clark said. "Clark Luthor's world and apparently the one these Nazis are from."
"So you think Clark Luthor somehow met up with Nazis from another Earth and allied with them?" Ollie asked.
"I knew this other version of Supes is a killer and all, but actually working with Nazis, that guy's way beyond reach," Bart said.
"If Clark Luthor is in fact working with them, he's likely doing it for his own reasons," Tess pointed out.
"So maybe the Andrea that I fought wasn't even the one we knew," Conner deduced.
"She must be her doppelganger from Clark Luthor's world," Chloe said.
"Considering that there are infinite Earths, finding our new enemies isn't gonna be easy," Kara D pointed out.
"I can help," Harry spoke up. "There's an Earth, one where Nazis are the dominant superpower, and it's called Earth-X."
He headed to the computers, plugged a USB flash drive in one of them, and brought up a video showing old black and white footage of World War II.
"It doesn't have a designation because it's a place so awful, so horrific, no sane person would ever travel there," Harry explained, while everyone looked at the video with uneasy expressions. "It's basically our Earth. Same history, same timeline, with one crucial and critical difference."
"Let me guess," Lena said. "The Nazis developed the atomic bomb before the United States did and they were more than happy to use it."
"And the United States lost the war as a result," Winn added.
"Yes," Harry answered. "The Nazis won the war. And New York, London, Paris, and Moscow, all obliterated. The SS set up outposts not only all throughout Europe but also all throughout the Americas, and Hitler continued his brutal reign, aided by prime ministers and presidents sympathetic to him, until his death in 1994."
"And now they're not satisfied with ruling just one Earth," Chloe said with a sigh. "They also intend to take over this one and most likely others."
"Just the thought of this 'Earth-X' place is making me feel absolutely sick to my stomach," Lois added.
"Does anybody have a trash can around here? I feel like I'm gonna lose my lunch," Bart commented.
"Yeah, line starts behind me," Roy said.
"We have to find these people," Clark said. "My guess is they're using a breach somewhere to travel between their world and this one."
"That, or they're operating from a staging area somewhere in Central City or close by," Alex said.
"Well, good thing we have a metric ton of smart people in this building," Barry said. "Let's get to work on finding our new friends from Earth-X and whatever Earth this Clark Luthor guy is from."
"Since we're about to face a bunch of parallel Earth supervillains, we're gonna need to make a pit stop back to our world to fetch our uniforms," Dinah pointed out.
"Good idea, Dinah," Ollie agreed. "Having our gear would definitely come in handy."
"Considering that our enemies include Clark Luthor and two other Kryptonians, I'm gonna need you to break out the necessary heavy artillery for this one," Clark said to Ollie.
"By that, you mean the kryptonite arsenal we have locked and stashed away in case evil Kryptonians showed up again in the future," Ollie said.
"That future is now, Oliver," Clark said.
"When it's the Man of Steel of all people suggesting the use of kryptonite, you know it's a major problem we have on our hands," Lois said.
"I'm fine with it too given the people we're up against," Kara D said, remembering the talk about kryptonite that Barry had given her a while back.
"Let's get our suits," Kara K said.
"We'll be right back," Clark said to Lois, Chloe, and Tess.
"We'll be waiting right here," Tess replied.
Clark leaned towards Lois and gave her a quick kiss, while Ollie did the same with Chloe. Clark then pulled out his extrapolator and opened a breach with it. He, Ollie, Bart, Dinah, and Kara K entered the breach before it closed.
(Pipeline)
"Earth-X," Oliver said, as he, Thea, Laurel-One, and Laurel-Two listened to Tommy's explanation.
"That's right," Tommy said. "And I'm dead on this Earth."
"Yes," Laurel-One replied, almost in tears as she still felt partly responsible for what had happened to this Earth's Tommy.
"But you were still alive on mine, last I checked," Laurel-Two added.
"I'd almost prefer what happened to me on this Earth," Tommy said. "I was born into the Reich. The whole world is the Fatherland. We don't have elementary schools and summer camps. We have youth groups and military training. We all grow up without choice."
"You have a choice now," Oliver pointed out. "You can tell us where to find the others from Earth-X and the allies they're working with."
"On my Earth, you are my best friend," Tommy said. "I would die for you." He then turned to the Laurels. "And I would die for you too."
"I would have died for you," Oliver said.
"Would have?" Tommy repeated, giving Oliver a strange look.
"You beat me to it," Oliver said, recalling the night of the Undertaking when Earth-1 Tommy had died. "I lost you. It was like... it was like losing a limb and… you weren't just my best friend. Tommy, you were my brother.
"You were my brother too," Thea said, tears in her eyes. "I loved you."
"You sacrificed yourself for a woman that we both loved and I was there and I had you right here," Oliver said to Tommy.
"That woman was me," Laurel-One added. "You saved my life. Our Tommy was a good man, and I believe you can be too."
"She's right," Laurel-Two agreed. "Ollie helped me change when I was at my worst. If I could turn over a new leaf, so can you."
"No, you don't understand," Tommy protested, his voice filled with fear and panic. "If I talk... if I break, the Fuhrer will kill my father. He'll kill my mother. Everyone that I love..."
"We will not let that happen," Oliver stated. "We will stop him."
Tommy leaned towards the glass of his cell. "Do you think you can do that?"
"I promise you that I can do that," Oliver answered.
"And we will," Laurel-One added.
Tommy lowered his head with a sigh of relief. Then, his entire expression suddenly darkened as he looked up at Oliver and the Laurels with a scowl. "Then you really are special kinds of idiots," he sneered. "Your naïveté would be charming if your weakness wasn't so pathetic."
"We'll see which one of us is really pathetic," Laurel-Two retorted as she glared at him.
"Is this how it is on your planet? Everybody's swayed by sentiment? Is everyone here really so weak? The Reich will change that. The weak will be eliminated. Your entire world will be enslaved. You and everyone you care about, everyone you love, you're all gonna die badly." He chuckled menacingly. "In ways that would give even monsters nightmares." Tommy continued his laughter as he dropped his mask on the floor. "I really wish that I could live to see it." He reached into his mouth to pull out a cyanide pill.
"NO!" Laurel-One and Thea both shouted in horror.
"Tommy, don't!" Oliver begged.
But it was too late. Tommy had already swallowed the pill. As Oliver rushed to open the cell door, Tommy collapsed to the floor, dead as foam formed inside his mouth. Oliver, Thea, and the Laurels stared down at his prone form, Oliver looking defeated as he once again failed to save Tommy Merlyn's life, while tears streamed down Thea's face as she had just watched a man who looked exactly like her beloved brother commit suicide before her eyes.
"He's gone," Oliver sighed.
"I'm sorry," Laurel-One said with sympathy.
"Maybe he really was too far gone," Thea said brokenly, as Laurel-Two put an arm around her neck to comfort the younger woman.
(Elsewhere)
Ultraman, Andrea, Owlman, Inertia, Overman, Amazon Queen, Overgirl, Dark Flash, Dark Arrow, Dark Arsenal, Deathstroke, and Dark Siren were inside a building which they were using as their hideout. A small beeping device was clutched in Dark Arrow's hand.
"He's gone," Dark Arrow said grimly to the others.
"Who? Merlyn?" Dark Flash asked without an ounce of sympathy.
"The biosensor in his suit indicates his heart stopped," Dark Arrow explained.
"As much as it sucks losing our childhood pal, Tommy knew exactly what he was getting himself into," Dark Arsenal said.
"He always seemed kinda soft to me," Dark Flash remarked.
"He died for Kara," Overman said, throwing a glance at his cousin. "We will make sure his death wasn't in vain."
"Those heroes will pay for his life with their own," Amazon Queen said.
"That's right, honey," Overman agreed, smiling lovingly at his wife.
"That doesn't change the fact that now we're down a man," Dark Flash pointed out in a sharp tone.
"Keep your focus where it belongs and get to work on locating that Prism," Dark Arrow snarled.
"Watch your tone," Dark Flash sneered. "Or I'll watch it for you."
Dark Arrow turned to the speedster, glaring at him. After a moment, he shoved Dark Flash against the nearby pillar and held an arrow right in front of his throat.
"Oliver!" Overgirl exclaimed in an effort to calm him down.
"This should be interesting," Ultraman chuckled, as he, Andrea, Owlman, and Inertia watched the Earth-X'ers in amusement.
"They're always at each other's throats unlike us," Andrea noted.
"That's because we're better and more civilized than them," Owlman stated.
"Did you just tell me to watch my tone?" Dark Arrow snarled at Dark Flash.
"He definitely did, Ollie," Dark Siren said, glaring at the speedster.
"You're angry... and I like it," Dark Flash said to Dark Arrow with a taunting grin.
"Don't you mock me!" Dark Arrow growled.
"Don't threaten me, or have you forgotten..." Dark Flash raised his hand, vibrating it. "I could end your life before you birth your next thought." He moved his hand towards Dark Arrow's chest, only for Overgirl to grab the speedster's wrist in a firm grip.
"Try it, once I break every bone in your body," Overgirl threatened, as she glared at Dark Flash.
"I'd be more than happy to help you with that," Dark Siren said, also glaring at Dark Flash as she was tempted to unleash her sonic scream on him.
Dark Arsenal nocked two arrows and pointed them at the speedster. "You lay one finger on him and these two arrows will be more than happy to travel through your forehead. Do I make myself clear? Please say no so I can end your annoying ass right now."
"That's enough!" Overman shouted, his voice echoing throughout the building. He glared at Dark Flash, Dark Arrow, Dark Arsenal, Overgirl, and Dark Siren. "I understand that we just lost one of our own, but we need to focus. " He pointed at Dark Flash. "You, do not vibrate your hand again." He pointed at Overgirl. "Kara, let go of his wrist." He pointed at Dark Arrow and Dark Arsenal. "And, you two, lower your weapons."
Dark Arrow moved his arrow away from Dark Flash's throat, while Dark Arsenal lowered his bow and Overgirl released Dark Flash's wrist.
"Man, I was really hoping for a fight," Inertia said, only to be met with glares from the others.
"Every one of us in this room are on the same side and we need to behave as such," Overman stated.
"Arguing and bickering like children accomplishes nothing," Deathstroke added, firmly. "It only wastes valuable time."
"It's the accomplishing nothing that has me concerned," Dark Flash retorted. "We came here to conquer this Earth as well as others! Or have you forgotten?"
"Watch your tone," Overman said firmly as he pointed at the speedster. "And locate the Prism. Once we have identified the location of the target, we will plan our next attack."
"Kal's right," Ultraman chimed in, having gotten used to referring to Overman as such. "You kids can kill each other later on for all I care. Right now, there's much more important things we need to get out of the way."
"Like rescuing Icicle and Volcana," Andrea said.
"Assuming those two are even still alive," Inertia said.
"They are," Owlman stated. "Our opponents are too sanctimonious to have killed them. Undoubtedly, our lost teammates are simply locked up somewhere."
"I'm sorry about Merlyn," Overgirl said to Dark Arrow, as the two went off to the side away from the others.
"He should've died in the hangar before he allowed himself to be captured," Dark Arrow replied. "Kara, we need that Prism. We are running out of time."
"You have to trust in the plan, Oliver," Overgirl told her. "You should. It's Kal's and you know he would never let us down."
"And do you trust me?" Dark Arrow asked.
Overgirl lovingly caressed his cheek. "Yes, with all of my heart."
They leaned towards each other and shared a passionate kiss.
(S.T.A.R. Labs)
Conner and Courtney were in the med-bay with Caitlin. The three of them were watching Cisco, who was still out cold.
"When do you think he'll wake up?" Conner asked Caitlin.
"I don't know," Caitlin answered. "Hopefully, soon."
Conner took a deep breath. "I never got the chance to apologize to you, Caitlin."
Caitlin frowned. "Apologize for what?"
"We were supposed to hang out again last week, remember?" Conner reminded her.
"Yeah, I remember, but I have no reason to be upset about that," Caitlin said in understanding. "It's not like either of us had any idea that your girlfriend and Laurel would show up alive again that day."
"Conner told me you two were such good friends," Courtney said. "I'm sorry if you had any feelings for him and..."
"I'm not gonna lie, I was open to the possibility of me and Conner becoming more than friends, but his heart clearly belongs to you and I'd rather not get in the middle of anything," Caitlin said.
"We'll still be friends, Cait, and I'm here if you ever need me for anything, but I really love Courtney and want to be with her for as long as I can," Conner said.
"I'm here too if you ever need me," Caitlin replied with a smile. "As a friend of course."
Conner nodded. "Glad we got that off our chests."
"Me too," Caitlin nodded back.
"Thank you for being understanding about me and Conner," Courtney said.
"It's no problem at all," Caitlin assured the blonde.
Barry, Oliver, Sara, Laurel-One, Laurel-Two, Roy, Thea, Diggle, Lois, Chloe, Tess, Kara D, Alex, Lena, and Winn were in the cortex when a breach suddenly opened.
A moment later, Clark, Ollie, Bart, Dinah, and Kara K, all of them now clad in their superhero suits, stepped out of the breach before it closed. Ollie was carrying a large duffle bag, which contained various green kryptonite weapons inside, around his shoulder.
"That was quick," Chloe noted.
"Quick is what I do best, Chloe-licious," Bart remarked, earning a playful glare from Ollie.
"What's our status?" Clark asked the others.
"Caitlin and Dr. Wells are using dimensional vibrations to track the Earth-X'ers down," Chloe answered. "So far, we heard nothing new."
Suddenly, one of the computers started beeping and everyone in the cortex looked at the screen.
"What's going on?" Kara D asked.
"There's a break-in at a place called Dayton Optical Systems," Winn announced, as the screen then showed security footage of Nazi soldiers attacking security guards on a pair of escalators.
"And it looks like we finally found our Nazis," Thea said.
"I guess we made it back here in the nick of time," Ollie said.
"All right, let's head out," Barry said.
"Only some of us for now," Oliver instructed, and everyone looked at him with frowns.
"Why not everyone?" Laurel-One asked.
"Because this could be a trap," Clark answered, giving Oliver an understanding look. "Which is why only some of us will go, while the rest of you stay here in case our enemies make a move for this place."
"So who's going and who's staying?" Roy asked.
Once the decision to that question was made, Clark, Barry, Kara D, Oliver, Ollie, Bart, Sara, Laurel-One, and Laurel-Two were the ones who headed out, while the rest stayed behind but would remain alert in case things went south.
Before the idea of resurrecting Courtney and Earth-1 Laurel (which I was originally going to do in my eventual COIE story) came to me, I did consider a possible relationship between Caitlin and Conner. However, after the way things ultimately turned out, as implied in the last chapter, I'm going to do SnowBart instead.
Now that the faces of the Earth-X villains have been revealed, while it's clear who everyone else are, the actor of Overman is Henry Cavill and the actress for Amazon Queen is Gal Gadot. The Earth-X in this series is more or less a cross between Arrowverse and DCEU.
As for Dark Arsenal (Earth-X Oliver Queen's twin brother) being Smallville Ollie's doppelganger, my headcanon is that, if Robert and Moira Queen had given birth to another male child, he would look like Justin Hartley, but have blue eyes instead of brown to fit more in line with Earth-1's version of the Queen family.